Curt Young helps A's pitchers thrive

Updated 12:12 am, Thursday, October 3, 2013

Pitching coach Curt Young (left), an A's pitcher in the 1980s, counsels catcher John Jaso and pitcher Brett Anderson.

Pitching coach Curt Young (left), an A's pitcher in the 1980s, counsels catcher John Jaso and pitcher Brett Anderson.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Despite his quiet demeanor, Curt Young imparts enthusiasm to his staff.

Despite his quiet demeanor, Curt Young imparts enthusiasm to his staff.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin steps between his piching coach Curt Young left, and umpire Jim Reynolds right, in the third inning of their MLB baseball game with the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, April 25, 2013 in Oakland, Calif. less

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin steps between his piching coach Curt Young left, and umpire Jim Reynolds right, in the third inning of their MLB baseball game with the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, April ... more

Pitching coach Curt Young talks with pitcher Tommy Milone (57) during a game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on August 2, 2013.

Pitching coach Curt Young talks with pitcher Tommy Milone (57) during a game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on August 2, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Curt Young helps A's pitchers thrive

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When Dave Stewart signed with the A's in 1986, he joined a staff anchored by a 26-year-old left-hander. When Stewart looks at the A's pitching staff in 2013, he sees the same anchor holding things in place.

That is Curt Young, the A's pitching coach and perhaps the most underrated member of the organization.

"He always knew how to pitch," Stewart said. "You could see it in the way he went about his business. He worked as hard as anyone. So I knew he could coach.

"But the other part doesn't translate, because he was so quiet. I didn't know he could take a staff and lay down the foundation."

But quietly, without fanfare, that's what Young has done. Lay the foundation for success. Again and again.

In his second stint as the A's pitching coach, in his 29th year in the A's organization, Young is in charge of a staff that might lack big household names but doesn't lack big, impressive numbers.

This season, the A's allowed the fewest walks in the American League. They had the second-lowest ERA in the league and the best WHIP in the league. They had five starters with double-digit wins.

"He deserves a lot of the credit," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "You see a lot of young pitchers coming through this organization. One of the reasons it has been such a rich pitching organization is Curt. He's been a big influence on these guys."

Young was once one of those young guys. He was drafted by the A's in the fourth round in 1981 and made his major-league debut in 1983. He had his best season in 1986 and earned the Opening Day start in 1987. He was part of the rotations that won three straight AL pennants.

Though he was a member of coach Dave Duncan's rotation, he says his main mentor was Dave Heaverlo, his Triple-A pitching coach who had pitched for the Giants and A's.

"He had a big influence on how I prepared," Young said. "And the confidence that he had in me gave me belief that I could pitch at this level."

When Young became a coach in 1996, he remembered the importance of giving young pitchers such confidence. He spent three seasons in the rookie league before moving up the ladder. When Rick Peterson left Oakland in 2003, Young took the job, inheriting a staff that included Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. Over the years, Young has found that confidence is the key factor, no matter the talent level.

"You always have to push confidence," he said. "It can get knocked down so easily in this game. It only takes one or two outings, and some doubt can sneak in.

"What I really push is how good these guys are, if they just do what they know they can do."

Young left the A's after the 2010 season to become pitching coach for the Red Sox. He says he did it for the opportunity, not because he had any problems with the organization or then-manager Bob Geren. But when the Red Sox fired Terry Francona after the 2011 season, the A's inquired about bringing back Young. He was happy to return, joining Melvin, a former teammate in Kansas City and an occasional golfing partner in Arizona.

"It's tremendous," Young said. "When you leave a place, you never know if you'll get back."

Brett Anderson, one of the few pitchers on the A's staff who was with Young in his first stint, was happy to see him back.

"He's great at making in-season adjustments for younger guys," Anderson said. "He's not a big mechanics guy or video guy. He makes you feel that you can go out there and get the job done, regardless of how your stuff is. He instills confidence."

Young also instills the firm belief that the A's pitchers are lucky to be working at the Coliseum, that they can be aggressive and use the size of the park to their advantage. He used to do it. He has seen Stewart and Bob Welch do it, Mulder and Zito and Hudson do it. He knows the tradition of A's pitching and all the benefits of the Coliseum.

"Part of any great organization with a rich tradition is to use that to your benefit," Melvin said. "The guys here know his experience. It's why he's such a great fit. He'd be a great fit anywhere, but even more so here in Oakland."

And what about that soft-spoken, low-key demeanor that Stewart wasn't sure could translate to coaching?

"If he does say something, there's some value and meaning behind it," Anderson said. "He's not going to go out of his way just to say something. It's going to be meaningful, so you better listen."

Melvin, in a throwback moment, cited an old commercial slogan.

"He's like E.F. Hutton," Melvin said. "When he speaks, you should listen. There's not a lot of clutter in what he says. There's a lot of clarity."

And that clarity translates to the pitching staff.

"I firmly believe the staff takes on the personality of the coach," Stewart said. "Curt has responsibility for those guys. Just look at what he's accomplished."

Not all about the Ks

Despite not having dominant power arms, the A's pitching staff has ranked among the best in the American League each of the past two seasons under Curt Young:

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